Sewing machines affording selective shirring of strips being sewn together along each other



May 10, 1960 P. KUHN 2,935,953

SEWING MACHINES AFFORDING SELECTIVE SHIRRING OF STRIPS BEING SEWN TOGETHER ALONG EACH OTHER 'Filed April 17, 1958 r d": .mLh fi ri fi h fi L I I I o 30 34 as I 32 f g u 7 INVENTOR, J i! [Mi SEWING MACHINES AFFORDING SELECTIVE :SHIRRING F STRIPS BEING'SEWN, TOGETHER ALONG EACH Paul Kuhn, Waldwick, N.J., assignor to Pathe Equipment Company, Inc., East Paterson, N.J.,-a corporation of New York Application April 17, 1958-, Serial No. 729,187

r 8 Claims. or. 112-132 ;"Ihe present invention relates to multi-needle sewing machines and morepa-rticularly to the type effecting shirring operations.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved'machine of the class mentioned, for making a web of strips and which while sewing the strips together, will'shirr only those which are selected to be shirred; no. change being required in the shirring mechanism regardless of which strips are tobe shirred.

Another object thereof is to provide a novel and improved shirring machine of the character described, which affords a simple means to maintain selected strips from shirri'ng action though the shirring mechanism is maintained active throughout as though for shirring the entire width of the web being sewn. A further object thereof is to provide novel and improved means for a shirring machinetby which the degree ofcompactness of the shirring elfected is easily adjustable. Still another object of this invention is to provide a novel and improved machine'having any or all of the features mentioned, which is simple in construction, reasonably cheap to manufacture or to equip existing multineedle sewing machine with and which is efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and'advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

For the practice of this invention, one form it may assume, is to have a multi-needle sewing machine equipped for shirring the entire width of a web by having the shining blade means across the-entire machine. Said blade means is biased so that its edge presses against the top of a plate which is slightly above the work-holding table and set horizontal thereon in front of the needles. :Selected strips which are to be sewn into a web, are set to slide 'under said plate while the remaining strips are set to slide on top of said plate. It isevident that those strips'which go under'the plate are shielded from shirring action and those-passingon said plate are, subjected to shirring action. Also, in'front of this shielding plate, some means is provided to guide the strips so that they overlap slightly along adjacent longitudinal edges so that the strips will be sewn together. This guide may be a 'strip bent in box pleat fashion as will be shown.

Adjustment of the scope of shirring blade reciprocatory movement to efiect the compactness of the shirring made, is accomplished by having the blade means on a swingable bar associated with a lever controlled by a special cam and by link mechanism, the connections of whose parts are adjustable to change the initial rest position of the shirring blade with respect to the needles and to change the lever ratios, as will be explained in the following description. a In the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views. j Fig. 1 is a top plan view of that part ofa multi-needle ment of this invention.

\shirring is effected on alternate'strips composing the rer 2 Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing strips with edges overlapped and so associated with the shielding plate that Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred form of strip guiding member from which the strips move inproper overlapped relation to the needles.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a shirring blade associated with spring means to bias it to press on the shielding plate.

I Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section taken at lines 6-6 in Fig. 3, with several of the parts omitted in order to attain clarity of illustration. 7 This view shows the condition of the machine set up ready to start operating.

In the drawing which shows a preferred embodiment of this invention, the numeral 15 indicates the workholding table of a multi-needlesewing machine which in cludes the vertically reciprocatable, horizontally posi tioned needle bar 16' having needles 17, 18 extending downwardly therefrom, the downwardly biased presser foot 19 which extends across the machine immediately rearward of the needles, the intermittently-operated work-pulling rollers 20 for feeding the work through the machine and the rotatable cams 21 which lift the presser foot to relieve its pinch on the work thereby permitting the pulling rollers to do their work which occurs during the upward stroke of the needles, commencing just as the needles have left the material being sewn. These are incidents which are ordinary in multi-needle sewing machines and hence further explanation or showing are un-. necessary of the mechanism to operate such components in proper timed relation and the association of each needle with a shuttle means, since they are all well known to those versed in the art. I will therefore proceed to describe the additions to an ordinary multi-needle sewing machine which accomplish the objects heretofore mentioned, in conjunction with such machine.

Mounted across the machine in front of the needles, is the horizontally positioned plate 22 which is spaced a bit from the surface of the work-holding table 15, as for instance by the end spacers like 23, so that web material can pass under such plate. Forward of and along this plate, there is a guide means 24, shown comprised of a strip bent in box pleat fashion, with the pleats therein of suitable dimension so that'strips of fabric and the like, passing through its dove-tail channels 25, 26, will emerge therefrom with their adjacent longitudinal edges in overlapped relation respectively. The needles are positioned on the bar 16 so that sewing is eifected through said overlaps to secure all the strips into a may be of different Widths and material.

single web and if one or more non-adjacent strips shown were omitted, a plurality of webs would result. The strips are indicated by the numerals 27 and 28 which For instance,

the strips 28 may be of some fabric and the strips 27 may Each loose collar carries a shank 36 therethrough, C117 sewing machine, which I have equipped with an emboditending across the bar, and is slidable in a hole in such collar, with its position fixable by a set screw 37; .At each shank end which is towards the needles, there is a blade 38 which may be called a'shirring finge'r, whose serrated edge 38 rests on theshielding plate 21 -All Patented May 10,1960.

. There are holes 42; 43' along said lever for a pivotal There are holes 44 along the crank" connection thereto. 31'. A link 45' is pivotally connected at its ends tothe said lever and crank, and to be extensible, said link maybe a turnbuckle. The numeral 46, indicates a cam which is fixed on a revolving shaft 47, which may be the main shaft of the machine. Said link 45 is connected at one of the series of holes 42, while a bar 48 is linked pivotally at one of its ends to the lever 40 at one of the, series of holes 43. This bar 48 has a lengthwise slot 49 through which said' shaft. 47"extends and 'is of a size so that said bar is slidably fitted on said shaft for longi-' tudinal movement laterally of said shaft. There are two rotatable rollers 50, 51 on a said bar, which as cam followers, are in contact with the cam periphery. Abouthalf of the cams periphery indicated at 52 is of a radius larger than the other approximate half indicated at 53; the joiuders of such peripheral parts being smooth without a break. The center of such radii is a point on the axis of the shaft 47; The distance between the peripheries of the rollers 50, 51 is equal to the sum of said radii. It is therefore evident that for substantially all positions of the cam 46, it will contact both of said rollers. in the points of connection of said linki and the bar 48 on the lever40, will determine the furthest position of'the shirring fingers 38 from the needles, while change in the points of connection on the said lever will determine the length of stroke of the shirring fingers and hence a means for such adjustment of stroke is provided. This mechanism shown in Fig. 2 may be at each side of the machine and'be similarly arranged to work in unison. Depending upon the nature of the work to be done, a proper guide means to function as member 24 is-provided and the needles are, appropriately positioned at stations along the needle bar 16. Fig. 6 shows the set upfor the machine to begin its operation; the strip 28 which are to be shirred, being atop the bar 22 and the strips 27 which are to remainin fiat condition as fed, meaning those which are to be subjected to no shirring action, are positioned under said bar.

As an aid to set forth the definition of structure in the appended claims, the following components and their equivalents, are termed as follows: the table 15, is called the first work-supporting member; the member'22 is called the second work-supporting member; in aggregate, the shirring fingers 38 which practically constitute and may be a continuous blade, is termed the web-engaging member; the member 24 which directs the strips along side each other in overlapping relation, is called in that manner. The pinch rollers 26 is defined for itself and equivalents thereof, as a means to feed strips from between the work-supporting members and strips from between the second work-supporting member and the webengaging member toward and past the needles.

This inventionis capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired' 'that the embodiment herein shall be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had tothe following claims rather than to the specific-description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a machine for sewing a plurality of strips together alongside eachother to make a web and for shirring Change of length of the link 45-, without change being sewn together, the combination with a sewing machine having at' least anumber of needles equal to the number of strips to be sewn together less one and a work-supporting member extending across the needles immediately in front of them, a second work-supporting member; said work-supporting: members being in superposed relation and spaced for the passage of material therethrough. whereby strip material to be fed to the needles may be positioned to move on either of said work-supporting members respectively, a web-engaging member extending across the needles immediately in front of them, contacting the. second work-supporting member and biased to press against the second work-supporting member and adapted to engage strip material which may be on said second work-supporting member, between said second work-supporting member and said web-engaging member, means to oscillate said web engagingmember towards and away from the needles while the machi'ne is operating, means to direct a plurality of strips alongside of each other in overlapping relation towards the needles and means to feed strips from between-the work-supporting members and strips from between the second work-supporting member and the webengaging member towards the needles; the position of the needles being such that one needle will pass through each of the mentioned overlaps respectively whereby when a plurality of strips are simultaneously fed through the machine, only those which pass between the second worksupporting member and the web-engaging'member will be shirred.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the stripdirecting means comprises a piece of strip material which isbox-pleated; the length of said pleats being along the direction work moves through the machine.

3. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein the means to oscillate the web-engaging member comprises an oscillatably mounted member carrying the web-engaging member fixed thereto, a lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, a link pivotally connected at spaced points there'- along to said lever to one side of the pivotal axis of the lever and to said oscillatable member respectively, a shaft journalled on the machine associated with means for turning it one revolution per cycle of movement of the needles, a cam fixed on saidshaft, a bar having a lengthwise slot; said shaft being through said slot; said bar being swingable on said shaft and slidable laterally of said shaft and positioned near said cam, 'cam followers extending laterallyfrom said bar; said cam being between said followers; said bar being pivotally connected to said lever to the other side of the pivotal axis of the lever; each of said followers being in contact with the cam at some time respectively, during each revolution of said cam whereby said bar is reciprocated; said cam being of wheel form; nearly one-half of the periphery of said cam which is to one side of a diametral line thereon, being of one radius and nearly the other half of the periphery of said cam which is tothe other side of said diametral line, being of'a different radius; the sum ofsaid radii being equal to the distance between said followers, where'- by said cam is insubstantially constant contact with both followers.

4. A machine as defined in claim 2, wherein the link is extensible and contractable.

5. A machine as defined in claim 3, wherein the pivotal axis of the connection of the bar on the lever and the pivotal axis of the connection of the link on the lever are independently adjustable along said lever.

6. A machine as defined in claim 3, wherein the pivotal axis of the connection" of the link on the oscillatable member is adjustabletowardsand away from the axis. of oscillation of said member; such member being swingable;

7. A machine as defined in claim 3, wherein the pivotal axis of the connection of the'baron the'lever and'the selected strips from, amongst them while the stn'psare pivotalaxis of the connection of thelink on the'levc'r-are 6 7 independently adjustable along said lever and the link is 856,166 Laubscher June 4, 1907 extensible and contraetable. 1,296,550 Onderdonk et a1. Mar. 4, 1919 8. A machine as defined in claim 7, wherein the oscil- 1,526,933 Rhyon Feb. 17, 1925 latable member is swingably mounted and the pivotal 2,323,927 Seaman Sept 7, 1943 axis of the connection of the link on the oscillatable mem- 6 2,543,144 Cohen APL 10, 5 be! is adjustable towards and away from the axis of wing of such member. FOREIGN PATENTS in the m of this patent 2,873 Great Britain Aug. 20, 1874 UNITED STATES PATENTS .10

780,130 Salzer et a1. Jan. 17, 1905 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No, 2,935,958 May 10 1960 Paul Kuhn It is herebf', certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 4 line 62, for the claim reference numeral "2" read 3 Signed and sealed this; 4th day of October 1960.

(SEAL) Attest:

KARL AXLINE ROBERT c. WATSON Attesting Ofiicer Commissioner of Patents 

